Canterlot
Way to Luna's quarters - leads from a busy foyer She grimaced slightly… and then sighed a little as she passed into the less-worn section of the castle: here, the passages were emptier, and the air of the place deeper, darker. Luna's old quarters, kept clean and tidy, but it did nothing to remove the air of decay, of something forgotten, of guiltily-cherished things kept locked away in the shadows… and Luna smiled faintly as she gazed back and forth along these empty stone halls, passing by blue lanterns but not needing them with her natural ability to see even in the deepest darkness. Celestia had kept them clean and neat, as if one day she had expected her sister to return… Luna's quarters large, circular room: much of it was barren, except for the enormous window-wall that faced out towards the brilliant night sky. The only furnishings were the simple deep satin bedding that Luna slept in during the day, and the large desk stacked with all manner of papers. Secret way out from the hall before Luna's quarters... Instead of journeying into the main foyer, they exited through a side door and headed down a steep incline that took them through the mountain, past looming shadows in a passage lit only by blue torchlight. Canterlot had many secrets, many recesses and dark places like this, that were deeper and older than most people knew… said in some places to be even more ancient than Luna and Celestia themselves, but even Luna didn't know whether or not that was entirely true, or if royal city and castle had been born at the same time as the pony sisters who moved the sun and the moon. Eventually, they exited the haunted atmosphere of the deep halls, stepping outside into the brisk night air. ...which leads to the Garden of the Moon... Then her eyes roved forwards towards the squat, wide mound they were approaching: less of a hill, and more of a natural stage, surrounded by tall, spiraled pillars that were beginning to fall into decay, covered in vines that covered up ancient etchings of Celestia, Luna, and Sleipnir. In the center of these pillars was a heavy stone table, once used in ancient rituals, covered in hexagrams and lunar symbols. The female smiled softly as they approached this, sitting back a bit and raising a hoof to rest quietly on the surface of the stone as she closed her eyes and bowed her head forwards, her horn faintly glowing… and a moment later, sapphire light whisked through the symbols, a cloud of dust bursting up off the table and making Luna and Scrivy both cough and draw away, before the Princess of the Night blushed a bit when the male gave her a sour look. "My apologies, Scrivener Blooms. I was only curious if some of the old magic remained… how quickly it is that dust and grit and age claim antiquity…" ...which lays several minutes' walk from this place: "I do." Luna murmured finally, several minutes later… and Twilight looked up to realize they had entered the courtyard where all manner of statues were displayed, near the rebuilt hedge labyrinth where Twilight and her friends had fallen into Discord's manipulations. The unicorn's eyes roved back and forth over the statutes of the ponies, dragons, and mythical figures, following Luna silently until they reached a tall pedestal… and now, when Twilight's eyes roved upwards, they settled with shock upon the stony statue of Discord. Dining hall Luna nodded slowly, studying Scrivener silently as they walked into the immense dining hall, heading automatically to the table they called their own: while many of the other tables were occupied by off-duty guards, servants, and a few nobles that were sampling the food from the kitchen, the tables in the far corner – where the light didn't touch as much, where there was always a pall of shadows from the curvature of the ceiling above – were usually left unoccupied."I did not mean to accuse you of anything, little sister." Celestia smiled a little now, glancing with amusement over at the embarrassed equine as they passed through the double doors and into the crisp night air, hooves quietly tapping along the stone tiles of the secluded veranda. "But either way… I am glad for it, Luna." Scrivener's room - lies across the hall from Luna's It was messy and neat at the same time: on shelves and wheeled-racks, scrolls, books, and sheets of parchment were shoved into crude categories and stacked dangerously high, and a dresser and small bed rested against the back of the room: the top of the former was covered in quills and other assorted odds and ends, and the latter had obviously never been made and was rarely used, blankets laying in a disheveled mess. Celestia's quarters Celestia paced slowly back and forth across the carpet, her eyes cold, the flames in the fireplace behind her seeming to burn hotter in response to her anger as she stormed around the wide den. The carpet beneath was plush and comfortable, the walls were lined with beautiful paintings, there were soft and comfortable pillows and furnishings… and yet the gorgeous living area that would be inviting any other time felt like a prison cell, the walls seeming to loom in, suffocating the smaller pony despite the ceiling that seemed countless feet above. There is a mirror (the scrying mirror) across from a "large, round purple cushion she often used as bedding". Some training grounds Luna impatiently pawed a hoof against the grassy hilltop beneath the cloudy, starlit night sky, the field she stood in lit by several enormous bonfires resting in gigantic braziers. Red and orange flames crackled gleefully over the pyramidal stacks of timbers that filled them, and smoke floated lazily up towards the dark night sky as Celestia stood with her head lowered in deep thought. Way taken by Scrivener and Luna from Canterlot to the Everfree Forest - Apparently begins from some secret passage as well - Leads down a grassy knoll first, then through a short field, heading towards the dusty, beaten road that would take them towards the Everfree Forest - There is a copse of trees near the road where the ambush occurs Then Luna gestured to a side path that cut through a field littered with wildflowers, saying quietly: "This way, to the edge of the Everfree Forest. 'Tis but a short journey, but I wish to sojourn in its outskirts for a short time. There is no rush, after all, and I would prefer to make camp at the forest's edge and add another night to our travels than to venture into the forest, and be forced to spend the day sleeping in the ruins if there truly is something wicked laying wait in its depths." "I'm in no rush either, Luna. All the same, don't hold back on my account… if you want to press forwards, I'll follow." Scrivener replied with a smile, and Luna nodded to him as they continued onwards. She was able to easily wend her way through the faint trail that became weaker still as it led towards the forest's outskirts, but by now the looming trees were clearly visible, shrouded with a deeper darkness than the night, a wild place full of wild things, a pocket of Equestria as yet untouched by law and order. Luna paused in front of a thin veil of scraggy trees on the forest's edge, rubbing her hoof against the ground as she gazed down thoughtfully: the ground here was pebbly, with little sand, a broken tree laying dead upon its side to one edge of the field and the rest of the ground scarred as if by fire. It was a small, natural clearing, the high grasses they had just pushed through likely enough to shield them from sight from the road, the wall of trees thick enough to make it difficult for any aggressive entity to sneak up on them but thin enough there was precious little space to hide. Their bridge to Old Royal Castle a broad canyon, part of the slope collapsed away and a rope bridge laying in broken pieces at the bottom of the gorge, amidst a bed of sharp, impassable rock and shale that twinkled like daggers in the moonlight. "Wonderful. I shall remedy this, Scrivener Blooms, but I require a moment of concentration." Scrivy nodded after a moment, stepping awkwardly back, and Luna took a slow breath as she lowered her head forwards and her eyes narrowed, focusing on two leaning, broken posts at the other side of the canyon: what had once been the other end of the bridge. And past this, through a pall of mist, she could vaguely see the ruins of the castle, ivory light washing its battlements in a pallid glow. "Such trivial problems shall do nothing to hinder us from our objective…" She gritted her teeth, then snapped her head upwards as her eyes flashed, her horn glowing radiant blue, and a moment later massive, thick cables of bramble and ivy ripped from the ground beneath their feet, long, gnarled brown roots twisting around these like an exoskeleton as they stretched and floated through the air like enormous snakes of earth, and Scrivy stared in shocked amazement as the enormous vine structures tore across the gap, shoving their way into the canyon wall just beneath the post, ripping through the sallow earth to knot themselves into plant roots and the bases of heavy, ancient trees. It formed a bridge of thick, ropey vines that were all covered in thorns and ugly blades of wood… but with another flick of her horn, the bottom of the gorge trembled before many of the broken chunks of shale and stone glowed deep blue, floating rapidly upwards as they spiraled and smoothed themselves out, dust and dirt hailing down through the air before shale and stone began to layer itself rapidly across the bridge, forming flat, interlocking tiles along the narrow surface. They clicked and snapped together from one end to the other, before Luna grimaced a bit as she finally relaxed… and then smiled in relief at the sight of the taut, slightly-sloped bridge that had formed. There were no handrails, but it was wide enough for them to walk safely… assuming, of course, they were careful. "Come, Scrivener Blooms." Entrance to ORC After ten minutes, they reached the outer walls of the castle: much of it had collapsed, however, and enormous vines and brambles crawled slowly over much of the ruin. Two massive wooden doors lay rotting and broken on either side of a shattered archway, the beautiful designs that had once covered it marred by time and rot…forwards, through the deteriorating archway and into the exterior courtyard… but this was little more than dirt and fetid, ugly plants, the two careful to stay to the shattered cement walk to avoid risking treading on any of the poisonous-looking vines and thorny bushes that dotted the yard. The doors to the castle lay open, and the stairs leading up to the enormous entrance hall were cracked but otherwise whole, although the darkness that filled the inside of the castle seemed unnatural.Cracked stone column fought miserably to hold up a decaying ceiling through which shone the moon and stars, and the rotting carpet underhoof felt almost alive, like stretched skin over bone. Over the walls, tattered tapestries flapped quietly despite there being no wind…she led him forwards into a ruined hallway, grimacing a bit as she examined a large mound of collapsed concrete from the walls and ceilingIt took them only five minutes to work their way through the ruins and find the door leading down into the vaults… but the staircase beyond the heavy iron door was darker than dark, the inky blackness seeming to swallow up all the light that touched it. Luna grimaced a bit as she simply flicked her head, her horn glowing bright blue and lightning the way… and Scrivy stayed close as Samael's eyes glowed in the darkness, the two ponies carefully making their way down the long, sloped tunnel until they came out into a natural limestone cavern. The vaults: Water dripped from the ceiling, and stalactites and stalagmites dotted the length of it, with only a narrow path carved through the mostly-empty room past several rotting wooden crates… but at the very back was an enormous, rusted bronze wall, an immense heavy gold door at the halfway point of this. A deep, dark hole sat in almost the exact center of the door, surrounded by ancient runes… and Luna shook her head slowly as she walked towards this, murmuring quietly: "Sister's ancient seal. I hope that time has not weakened my memory of this…"Luna flicked her horn upwards, and point of light shot from her horn to strike an enormous crystal inset into the ceiling, this rapidly growing brighter until it cast a glow like daylight over the vault, Scrivy grimacing and blinking a few times… and then simply staring, dumbstruck, at what lay in the roughly-octagonal room before him. "I. May need a moment."immense trunks and chests that were in some cases literally overflowing with gold and precious gemstones lined the walls, and pedestals upon which sat strange and often beautiful idols, jewelry, and trinkets of every sort and size stood throughout the room, as did large racks filled with scrolls, ancient texts… but what had truly caught his eye stood at the back of the room. Upon three featureless stone statues of three enormous equines rested three different ornate, beautiful sets armor: upon the largest was armor made of beautiful gold that seemed to glow in the light, almost painful to gaze upon in all its splendor… and the second largest was made of heavy, gleaming silver, with enlarged coverings that would obviously fit firmly over the hooves and locks on the forelegs where the huge kite shield that rested over its back could be clamped firmly on. The last, the smallest set – yet no less magnificent for its stature – was made of gorgeous black, smooth plating and supple blue dragon-scale leather, the most lightweight of three sets. (...) For a few moments, Luna only stood, admiring her old armor: sectioned plating that securely interlocked along the limbs, the heavier, thicker breastplate that shielded the body and protected her spine without interfering with her wings, and the thicker peytral inset with a border of obsidian gemstones and a swirling design of the entire lunar cycle over the front of it in silver… and the helm, designed perfectly to cup her skull and with a slightly-triangular, flattened hammerhead top, the metal curled slightly upwards to offer extra support to the base of her horn… (...) Scrivener nodded a bit, looking quietly at the beautiful, polished golden metal, which seemed as pristine as if it had only just arrived from the forge. The immense plate mail was strangely terrifying to behold, from the crown-shaped helm to the glimmering celestial symbols and archaic, ancient runes that were embossed over much of the gear… Scrivy's Nightmare-induced dreamworld (Luna's is a simple field) a strange gray world, frowning quietly as she looked back and forth. For her, it had been a dream world… but this looked far-less-inviting, like twisted memories of a lost past. A wide, frost-speckled dirt road was beneath her hooves, and to either side there were tall snowbanks that stood unwelcoming sentinel in front of ramshackle houses and squat, ugly stores. Slowly, Luna walked forwards, glancing up at the sky above… but it was grey and cloudy, the same color and atmosphere as the grey, white, and blacks of the homes and snow and even the crusty dirt road beneath her hooves before she frowned a bit as she looked ahead and saw Scrivy sitting quietly in the middle of the road, a surly expression on his face as he rested childishly on his haunches, glasses on the end of his muzzle and dressed only in his old half-coat. The house and store in North Neigh (re-usable in Starlit Knights) they walked outside, and this time stepped out into a back alley. The male nodded to the side, and Luna followed his gaze… and shuddered at the sight of what looked like a falling-apart doghouse made of cardboard and wood with a steel fence door and an ugly, simple bar-lock that could only be opened from the outside.a unicorn stormed out of a house ahead near the end of the street Dream-like version of Hoofston (or so I believe) The Everfree Forest I like how this process is accentuated here: She fell quiet again… and as they continued through the Everfree Forest, Scrivener could feel the air of strangeness and hostility lightening bit-by-bit: not only the further they drew away from the castle, but the more that Luna spoke, as if the forest itself was beginning to hesitantly welcome one of its own. The two walked onwards, talking occasionally, and Scrivener was surprised when they emerged all too soon from the trees and onto a wide dirt path, Luna smiling a little up at the stars and the moon that was slowly beginning to sink towards the mountains in the distance. "We made better time than I dared hope. Ponyville is only a short trot from here. . ." Throne room Celestia had been eager to meet with them: the guards had escorted them to her throne room, where she sat back on cushions on a raised dais ... Celestia had risen from the cushions, striding down the steps leading onto the high platform from where she ruled Equestria, Possibly somewhere close to Celestia's quarters: now, deep inside Canterlot's magnificent castle, Celestia stood in a strange room that was half-library, half-forge. On one half of the room, ancient texts, alchemical ingredients, and strange artifacts sat in shelves, kept apart from the other half by an immense stone table. Beyond this, inset into the ash-stained stone wall opposite the iron door that led in and out of the room, was a heavy iron forge in which burned golden flames: purified fire brought into being by the focused rays of the sun's might. Hanging on several hooks built into this uglier side of the room was Celestia's golden armor, now further enhanced by both cunning magic and plates of Yggdrasil's wood, which was as solid as iron… and sitting in front of her, upon the stone table, her crown-helm sat, fortified with the timber of Yggdrasil as well, five sockets carefully dug along the front of the head protector as she murmured: "Just a few last finishing touches…" She paused, then smiled as her eyes roved to the side, the large, heavy tools floating quietly out of the way as a beautiful chest covered in ornate gemstones rose up in front of her and gently set itself down on the table… and a moment later it clicked quietly open, Celestia gazing into this at the five golden necklaces that rested inside, each with a different gemstone in the shape of a different symbol glowing quietly in the soft, shaped padding… and then she smiled as she lifted out the sixth object first, a heavy, arched golden tiara with a brilliant amethyst star standing strikingly from the top. Chamber of the Sun Canterlot Square lies in front of the castle. The Chamber of the Sun was a large, cubical building that stood in front of Canterlot Square, with two immense, curved stairways leading up to the high platform the squat-looking stone structure stood upon. It was simply one enormous viewing chamber, usually used by ambassadors or political figures, rarely used by Celestia herself… and often when the Princess of the Sun did use it, it was merely as a place to speak in private to one or two important figures while she prepared to stride out onto the enormous balcony-stage that overlooked the main square, and give either a speech to her people, or the demonstration of her power when she rose the sun in the mornings of the Summer Sun Festival. "Get thee hence, demon." Luna muttered, cursing herself as she flicked her horn upwards to send the immense doors leading into the castle flying open before she charged through them, sprinting along the lowered bridge over the wide, deep moat that surrounded the enormous stronghold and down the road into the capital city hidden behind the majesty of the castle, her hooves slamming against the ground as she rushed towards her destination. Ten minutes later, and she was heading through the crowded streets of Canterlot, darting back and forth before she growled in frustration and threw herself into the air, powerful wings spreading and propelling her upwards, mane, tail and cloak streaking back behind her like she was living flame and starlight as ponies gasped and stared in shock at the sight of Luna whipping by above their heads. Other Pegasi cleared the airspace for her, even the guards quick to move out of her way, entire patrols scattering like flocks of pigeons before the eagle as her eyes locked on the Chamber of the Sun, twisting towards it before dropping heavily to her hooves on the high balcony before the squat building, striding towards the closed, rectangular doors and flicking her horn to shove them both open wide, slamming loudly into the walls as she shouted: "Celestia, Scrivener Blooms is gone! What is going on?" The doors slammed behind the winged unicorn, and Luna glanced over her shoulder with a wince before she looked ahead, the light strange and blue in this large, square room, heavy red curtains hanging in the corners of the room and an immense, wide throne sitting at the top of a short flight of stairs at the far back… and Luna swallowed thickly as she stared at this, at the sight of her sister as Celestia murmured in a voice that echoed throughout the room, throughout Luna's mind: "Yes. Terrible things have been set in motion, little sister. But together… we can ensure the best outcome for our people, for our nation, for our world."one of the curtains that stood in the corner of the room was torn aside, revealing the shivering, bruised body of Scrivener Blooms - the building is squat And with that, Twilight Sparkle turned silently towards the double doors, striding towards them as tears fell from her eyes, her horn glowing and yanking them both open before she strode out onto the grand stage of the sun, facing out over the rioting, crying, screaming crowd Nightmare Moon Platform she was standing in a spotlight beneath the ivory moon above, and everything around her was pitch black Some other room in Luna's part of Canterlot In Canterlot, Princess Celestia sat silently in an empty, dusty bedroom in the dark corner of the castle, staring out a cracked window wall, the curtains drawn back. On one side of her body, just below her foreleg, was a thick, circular scar… and she closed her eyes, bowing her head forwards with a tremble, tears leaking down her ivory features as she whispered: "I miss you, sister… I hope tonight of all nights… you're okay." First mention of Everfree Forest cottage Deep in the Everfree Forest, there was now a large cottage in the comfortable shade of a cliff, sitting near a small brook in a field. A path led around the side of the cliff face and up a gentle incline to the rear of the hill, and at the very top, a pony could see for miles over the treetops… look straight down at the roof of the cabin below… or straight up at the beautiful, brilliant sky, where the weather was wild but most nights were clear and kind. The cottage was pretty, mostly built by hoof and hard work and the help of good friends… and inside it now, Luna and Scrivener lay comfortably on a simple, circular mattress in front of a crackling fireplace, smiling softly, resting overtop each other, their bodies pressed together. Other facts: 1. There are statues of both Nightmare Moon and Princess Luna in Canterlot, but the latter are less numerous. 2. Canterlot is lit by torches and glowing crystals. "For I was. We were the rulers of Equestria, Scrivener Blooms… of course there was more than one lodging in which we could reside, in those days long ere past. Nay, the palace in what is now the Everfree Forest was our home, our safe retreat, our bastion… here, Canterlot, is where the royal courts have always been, and where business was always conducted." Luna paused as they emerged out of the shadowy lower halls, passing by two guards that stood silent and serious, ivory pegasi in gleaming golden armor. "Perhaps, though, 'tis not so strange. The castle, that once-home that is now only ruins… 'twould have been filled with bad memories. We remember all too well…" Luna quieted as they walked onwards, Scrivener glancing towards her softly and nodding a bit as they passed through well-lit, radiant passages, ornate paintings over the walls and vast tapestries depicting great events of the past… yet only now, Scrivener had come to realize they were all events of a more-recent past, within the last five hundred years, after Luna had confessed she recognized very little in the castle. He knew that on the one hand, Celestia was trying to not think about the long-ago past… but he knew on the other it hurt Luna to look around a castle half-familiar to her and see that every tracing and trapping of the far-flung past she had been a part of had been removed. In fact, there were more monuments testifying to Nightmare Moon than there were to Princess Luna. No longer did the bright light, coming from glowing crystals and eternally-burning torches, seem so beautiful… the day-like radiance that lit these populated areas of the immense castle only made it all the clearer how distasteful and distrustful many of the ponies here were of Luna as they shied away from the two. But right now, Scrivy and Luna were in their own little world: they had one another, and that was all that mattered. "Then go ahead, fair Scrivener Blooms. Tell your story." Category:Locations